DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2024, College-Conservatory of Music: Percussion

Electronic music has a rich history dating back farther than just the 1950's. Edgard Varese is often credited with the establishment of musique concrete, though that behemoth was taking shape well before his time. After some decades of composers creating pieces using analog sound systems and synthesizers, we have reached a breaking point in performing their works. Quite often the technology has become decrepit and dysfunctional, if one can procure it at all. A method of performing these works in a manner faithful to the composer's original intent does still exist—and that is through digital signal processors like Max, developed by Cycling '74. However, even with today's practices in Max and similar programs being robust and intuitive, problems in performance still arise that can be avoided altogether by a composer or programmer with the foresight to anticipate them. This document will provide performers and composers alike the necessary tools to navigate this music and improve future music in the electro-acoustic genre. The primary function of this document is to provide a brief historical background of both this analog heritage and digital uprising, a foundational knowledge of rudimentary hardware related to these, and a broad span of case studies related to pieces in both categories and in-between which leads into a discussion of better practices on the part of a composer-programmer.

Committee: James Culley M.M. (Committee Chair); Angela Swift Ph.D. D (Committee Member); Russell Burge M.M. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Contemporary Music

This paper will provide a resource for percussionists and composers interested in music for non-traditional solo instruments and electronics. The goal is twofold: first, to present a user-friendly guide with identification of required electronic equipment, an understanding of basic signal flow, setup and troubleshooting guides, compositional trends, and technical demands; second, to promote this repertoire through a performance and analysis guide of three prominent works - Javier Alvarez's Temazcal (1984), Matthew Burtner's Broken Drum (2003), and Christopher Tonkin's In (2005). These works are representative of the genre and incorporate either live or fixed electronics. The instruments featured in these pieces are often treated by other composers as having limited artistic potential; positioning them as solo instruments allows them to demonstrate their artistic capabilities. Pairing them with an electronic component expands the palate of sound, providing more sonic diversity and expressive potential to an otherwise monochromatic instrument. In addition to the in-depth profiles of these three compositions, a selected list of applicable works is included with identification of specific instruments and technical demands. This will provide students and teachers with a body of current works which will aid in awareness and selection of this music. This paper aims to diminish current knowledge gaps related to contemporary electronic music and to promote the performance and creation of new works.

Committee: Daniel Piccolo DMA (Committee Chair); Marilyn Shrude DMA (Committee Member); Piyawat Louilarpprasert DMA (Committee Member); Lee Nickoson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music; Technology

Master of Sciences (Engineering), Case Western Reserve University, 2024, Materials Science and Engineering

Aerosol jet printing (AJP) offers a unique solution to fabrication challenges for microelectronic devices due to its microscopic feature resolution, rapid prototyping capabilities, and ability to print on curved surfaces. However, AJP is challenged by a complex set of interrelated process parameters which must be carefully adjusted to achieve desired print properties. A series of studies were conducted to investigate the effects of AJP parameters on properties of silver nanoparticle ink flexible electronics, and to define an optimized set of parameters to achieve desired performance metrics. Specimens were characterized via optical microscopy, profilometry, electrical testing, static bend testing, and focused ion beam sectioning. It was found that silver nanoparticle ink retained chemical and particle size properties over a period of ~25 weeks. The effects of sintering parameters were investigated and it was determined that 175 °C marks a threshold sintering temperature below which prints did not conduct, but above, print conductance increased and microstructure showed densification and grain growth. A 65°C platen temperature was found to mitigate both spreading and excessive drying of ink. The effects of individual AJP process parameters on deposition thickness and conductance were evaluated. Finally, an orthogonal array optimization study was conducted to arrive upon a set of optimized printing parameters including aerosol and sheath gas flow, atomizer voltage, print speed, and platen temperature. Findings can be applicable to future works seeking to hasten the adaptation of aerosol jet printing to specific applications.

Committee: Janet Gbur (Committee Chair); James McGuffin-Cawley (Committee Member); John Lewandowski (Committee Member) Subjects: Biomedical Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Materials Science; Nanotechnology

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Music Composition

An Uncommon Duo is a composition for solo performer and computer. The performer plays glass bottles, ocarina, thunder tube, and voice, while the computer processes those sounds live and plays fixed media using Cycling ‘74's Max object-oriented audio software. The work explores the intersectionality between composition and improvisation through the medium of technology. The title, An Uncommon Duo, derives from pairing two unlikely forces–one human and one electronic. The piece is organized into two interconnected movements, with each highlighting two acoustic instruments. The first movement, “An Earthen Flute”, features the ocarina and glass bottles, while the second movement, “A Thundering Breath”, features the voice and thunder tube. An Uncommon Duo is pseudo-improvised with the live performer creating improvisational gestures and textures that anticipate and/or react to the computer's predetermined live processing effects and fixed media tracks. An Uncommon Duo's musical language was derived from the instruments' spectromorphological characteristics rather than adhering to traditional harmonic or melodic structures. Each movement's musical material includes instrument and found object sounds, live processed sounds, and fixed media soundfiles. Density and energy fluctuate over time, with individual gestures evolving into large sound masses that subsequently disintegrate into moments of stasis and repose. Exploring extended, non-standard techniques with acoustic instruments was integral to creating a diverse and engaging texture as each movement evolved. The first movement's techniques include flutter tonguing, key tapping, air sounds, pitch bending, and multiphonics on the ocarina, as well as clinking and blowing the rim of the glass bottles. The second movement's sound world includes whistling, tongue trilling, breath sounds, vocalized phenomes, and simultaneous whistling and singing on the voice, combined with hitting/tapping, shaking, and dragging finger (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Elainie Lillios (Committee Chair); Christopher Dietz (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Master of Science in Engineering, Youngstown State University, 2023, Department of Civil/Environmental and Chemical Engineering

The transformational impact of incorporating new 3D-printing technologies and manufacturing methods, particularly in the field of printed electronics, can be observed in various areas such as flexible electronics, wearable sensors, wireless communications, and solid-state display technologies. Particularly, the utilization of soft and flexible electronic devices for extended periods in health monitoring has the potential to significantly revolutionize customized healthcare. However, despite the potential benefits that wearable electronics have demonstrated, their application in long-term health monitoring has proven to be hard due to the requirement for consistent operation under diverse conditions of mechanics, temperature, and hydration. Specifically, investigation about their mechanical and electrical properties under prolonged fatigue conditions needs to be assessed in order to allow them to be useful in applications such as wearable sensors and flexible electronics. Therefore, the objective of this research is to evaluate the structural and electrical characteristics of a 3D printed flexible electronic platform capable of withstand bending fatigue over long periods of time. Currently, there is a noticeable change occurring in the field of flexible and wearable electronics, primarily attributed to the utilization of developing materials and advancements in structure design, specially 3D printing being such technology that holds immense potential in revolutionizing the production of these. Lastly, this work will provide comprehension of flexible structures that could be employed as a potential substrate for a nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas sensor.

Committee: Pedro Cortes PhD (Advisor); Frank X. Li PhD (Committee Member); Eric MacDonald PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Engineering; Health Care; Materials Science

Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (MSMSE), Wright State University, 2023, Materials Science and Engineering

The persistent demand for flexible and wearable electronic components in healthcare, aerospace, media, and transit applications has led to a significant shift from traditional electronics processes to printed electronics. Printed electronics are anticipated to establish itself as the industry's dominant force due to their enhanced flexibility, rapid prototyping capabilities, and seamless integration with everyday objects. They are cost-effective and have the scalable option for large-scale production because additive manufacturing techniques are used. Among the various printing methods available, inkjet printing has recently gained popularity for printing electronics, especially capacitors that require precise and complex structures on different substrates. Inkjet printing relies on micro dispensing additive technology, where liquid phase materials are dispensed using the drop on demand (DOD) technique with conductive nanoparticle inks. Researchers have made several attempts to fabricate fully inkjet-printed composite capacitors and have discovered that the permittivity value of the composite increases compared to a polymer. This suggests that using composites as the dielectric material in a capacitor can potentially increase the capacitance value. However, despite the discussion on various composite dielectric materials, there is a scarcity of information on the use of BaTiO3/SU-8 dielectric materials for capacitor applications. To address this gap, the objective of this study is to formulate BaTiO3/SU-8 ink suitable for inkjet printing and develop a printing process for layered metal insulator metal (MIM) structures. The formulated BaTiO3/SU-8 ink is employed to print the dielectric material, while nano silver ink is used for the two electrodes, enabling the fabrication of the capacitor in a single step. The study takes into account volume and speed jetting parameters as well as waveform to achieve optimal and uniform liquid phase material inkjet printing on the s (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ahsan Mian Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Hong Huang Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Daniel Young Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Engineering; Materials Science; Mechanical Engineering; Nanoscience; Nanotechnology

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2023, EECS - Electrical Engineering

This dissertation reports the development of resistor-based electronic devices fabricated using novel approaches to inkjet printing. The first component of this dissertation involves the development of resistor-based devices using particle-free inks comprised of AgNO3 and ethylene glycol (EG) with low-pressure Ar plasma to form metallic structures. The AgNO3 concentration was selected to produce Ag structures with sheet resistances between 100k and 10 Ohm/sq depending on plasma duration and the EG solvent type used in the ink. To investigate the relationships between ink composition, plasma parameters and device performance, strain gauges and temperature sensors were printed from inks that use one of three forms of EG, differing in their vapor pressure. For the strain gauges, the gauge factor (GF) depends on plasma duration and ink solvent. For each solvent, the GF decreases with increasing plasma duration. Additionally, the GF exhibited a strong dependence on the vapor pressure of the solvent with the highest GFs associated with the lowest vapor pressure. Material analysis revealed strong connections between porosity and ink solvent, establishing a physical basis linking ink solvent to GF. The temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) for the temperature sensors was generally found to be insensitive to plasma exposure time but strongly dependent on ink solvent. The highest TCR values were associated with the ink having the highest vapor pressure solvent and thus the lowest porosity. The second component of this dissertation involves the development of reactive inkjet (RIJ) printing for acetic acid-based electrochemical sintering of screen-printed Zn devices in order to control electrical resistance during the sintering step. Sheet resistances range from 200k to 0.5 Ohm/sq depending on drop spacing and number of print passes. SEM images show that cold welding between Zn particles increases with increasing print passes, consistent with sheet resistance measurem (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christian Zorman (Committee Chair); Pedram Mohseni (Committee Member); Francis Merat (Committee Member); Kath Bogie (Committee Member) Subjects: Electrical Engineering; Engineering; Materials Science; Physics

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2020, Mechanical Engineering

Soft and stretchable electronics will play an important role in the areas of robotics, prosthetics, wearables, and energy harvesting devices. The emergence of smart technologies is spurring the development of a wider range of applications for stretchable and conformable pressure sensors. Concomitant with the material research on soft sensors, the fabrication method is also gaining major progress. The manufacturing and design flexibility offered by additive manufacturing (AM) may enable the fabrication of sensors that are superior to those fabricated by conventional manufacturing techniques. AM could realize applications of the sensors which are difficult to achieve via a conventional method. In this work, a flexible and stretchable pressure sensor has been proposed. A pressure-sensitive membrane was fabricated through the polymerization of an ionic liquid (IL)-prepolymer blend. Stretchable conductive strips or electrodes were fabricated using a carbon nanotube (CNT)/polymer composite. The IL-based pressure-sensitive layer was sandwiched between CNT–based stretchable electrodes and encapsulated within stretchable top and bottom insulating layers. The multi-layer multi-material sensor was first fabricated through a screen-printing and molding process for evaluation and characterization purposes. Sensor performance was investigated for different degrees of crosslinking and polymerization, concentrations of IL, and thicknesses of the IL/polymer layer. The experimental results showed that these variables affect the sensitivity of the sensor. Next, various forces were applied to a screen-printed sensor to determine the reliability, sensitivity, and dynamic range. The proposed IL-based sensor displayed superior performance with high sensitivity and reliability. The sensor was also investigated for temperature dependence and shelf life. Different applications of the screen-printed sensor were explored such as sensor embedded tire and sensor embedded insole. While the s (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jae-Won Choi PhD (Advisor); Gregory Morscher PhD (Committee Member); Siamak Farhad PhD (Committee Member); Kye-Shin Lee PhD (Committee Member); Thein Kyu PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Mechanical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2019, Physics

In this dissertation, we will describe work completed towards the Pierre Auger Observatory's AugerPrime Upgrade as well as auxiliary timing work, hardware design and finally a test of correlations of Starburst Galaxies with the arrival directions of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs). In the first three chapters, we review the history, observables and detection techniques of UHECR physics, both past and present. We then look at the future upgrade of Auger and give an in depth description of the firmware, software and hardware that make up the Upgraded Unified Board (UUB), which is to be at the heart of AugerPrime. A discussion of the scientific mechanisms and merits of event-by-event composition measurements is presented, and the necessity of a new board to support this is exposed. We then move into the precision timing implementation in AugerPrime, discussing GPS receiver selection and time-tagging system performance. We find that the timing resolution of the UUB is σ_det = 8.44 ± .15 ns, and confirm it using two methods. Subsequent to this, we discuss auxiliary timing projects which support Auger as well as the Cherenkov Telescope Array. Results are shown for an experiment to determine spatial correlations of GPS timing errors, and hardware for timing at CTA and in the Auger@TA cross calibration is described. In the final chapter of this work, we move on to examining the recent Starburst correlation result of the Auger Collaboration, and cross check this by invoking a magnetic field model and back-tracing the arrival directions of UHECRs seen by Auger. We test to see how likely it is that the observed UHECR sky is more correlated with the observed Starburst Galaxy (SBG) sky than an isotropically chosen set of random sources. The test shows a deviation from isotropy at the 1.6σ level. Finally, we describe future directions for SBG correlation tests.

Committee: Corbin Covault (Advisor); John Ruhl (Committee Member); Benjamin Monreal (Committee Member); David Kazdan (Committee Member) Subjects: Astrophysics; Electrical Engineering; Particle Physics; Physics

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME), Wright State University, 2018, Mechanical Engineering

Environmental and safety concerns have necessitated a phase-out of lead-based alloys, which are often used in electronics solder applications. In order to properly assess suitable replacement materials, it is necessary to understand the deformation mechanisms relevant to the application. In the case of electronics solder, creep is an important mechanism that must be considered in the design of reliable devices and systems. In this study, Power-Law and Garofalo constitutive creep models were derived for two medium temperature solder alloys. The first alloy is known by the commercial name Indalloy 236 and is a quaternary alloy of lead, antimony, tin, and silver. The lead-free alternative is a binary alloy of tin and antimony known by the trade name Indalloy 264. Constant strain rate tests were conducted at temperatures from -20 to 175 Celsius using constant strain rate tensile testing in the range of e-5 s-1 to e-1 s-1. Creep constants were defined for use in materials selection and design analysis activities.

Committee: Daniel Young Ph.D. (Advisor); Raghavan Srinivasan Ph.D., P.E. (Committee Member); Joseph Slater Ph.D., P.E. (Committee Member) Subjects: Aerospace Materials; Materials Science; Mechanical Engineering; Mechanics

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2015, Engineering and Applied Science: Electrical Engineering

Natural electronics is the field that incorporates biological molecules in organic electronic devices to create inexpensive, renewable, performance-enhancing, and environmentally safe alternatives for the electronics industry. Natural DNA, for example, has been incorporated as an electron blocking layer (EBL) to improve device efficiency and luminance in organic light emitting diodes (OLED). OLEDs require a diverse set of materials with optical and electrical properties that meet the rigorous design requirements of the device. DNA, being one of the few materials in OLEDs, lays the groundwork for other natural material to be explored. The nucleic acid bases from the DNA and the RNA (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, uracil) are excellent options for the next steps in natural OLED electronics. The bases form thin films directly by thermal evaporation, unlike DNA that requires a surfactant and solution processing. The bases were shown to have a wide range of opto/electronic properties such as refractive index, dielectric constant, resistivity, and electron/hole transport making them a good candidate for OLEDs. The thin film properties and performance of the bases were explored by depositing the individual bases as the EBL and hole blocking layer (HBL) in place of conventional OLED material. It was shown that adenine and guanine performed well as EBLs, exceeding the efficiency of the baseline device (52 vs 39 cd/A), which contained non-biological material. It was also demonstrated that OLEDs with very high efficiency can be obtained using a thin layer of thymine as an EBL, resulting in a peak efficiency of 76 cd/A and a higher maximum luminance (132,000 cd/m2) than the baseline OLED (100,000 cd/m2). In the hole blocking layer, uracil performed well by transporting electrons and blocking hole transport to provide the highest emission efficiency of the bases. The final set of experiments demonstrated that adenine increased the hole injection of gold electrodes (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Andrew Steckl Ph.D. (Committee Chair); James Grote Ph.D. (Committee Member); Fred Beyette Ph.D. (Committee Member); Peter Kosel Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ian Papautsky Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Electrical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, Materials Science and Engineering

Molecular electronics is the study of charge transport through single molecules or molecular ensembles. Molecular electronic junctions consist of single molecules or an ensemble of molecules positioned between two conducing contacts. To fabricate and measure the electronic properties of molecular junctions, several techniques have been employed such as scanning tunneling microscopy, conducting probe atomic force microscopy, and vapor deposition of top contacts. Charge transport observed through molecular junctions has been shown to exhibit technologically important phenomena such as rectification, conductance switching, and orbital gating. The primary focus of the field of molecular electronics is to understand the effect of molecular properties, such as structure and molecular orbitals, on charge transport mechanisms through molecular junctions. In this dissertation, the various techniques to fabricate and characterize molecular junctions are discussed, along with an introduction to charge transport mechanisms expected to control transport through molecular junctions. More specifically, this dissertation is primary focused on the fabrication and characterization of molecular junctions fabricated through the formation of an electronic contact on a molecular layer through physical vapor deposition. A common problem with this technique is structural damage to the molecular layer or metal penetration through the molecular layer during the contact formation. To overcome these limitations, a novel fabrication technique was developed and employed to fabricate reproducible molecular junctions through a physical vapor deposition technique without molecular damage or metal penetration. Termed surface diffusion mediated deposition (SDMD), the technique remotely deposits a metallic contact adjacent to and about 10 – 100 nm away from the molecular layer. Surface diffusion causes the metallic contact to migrate towards and onto the molecular layer to form an electronic contact. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gerald S. Frankel ScD (Advisor); Richard L. McCreery PhD (Advisor); Roberto Myers PhD (Committee Member); Nitin P. Padture PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Materials Science

Master of Science (M.S.), University of Dayton, 2011, Electrical Engineering

New additive manufacturing techniques such as Direct Write, combined with the continually decreasing size of electronic components have opened new application areas. One such application is the integration of electronic systems with an aircraft's mechanical structure for the purpose of monitoring structural health and sensing the aerodynamic conditions surrounding the vehicle. Data from such a system could be provided to a flight control system to enable new control algorithms to address conditions such as gust loads or simply to improve fuel efficiency through minute attitude adjustments. This paper investigates structural integration techniques and demonstrates through laboratory experiments that the concept is feasible.

Committee: John G Weber PhD (Advisor); John S Loomis PhD (Committee Member); Ralph Barrera DE (Committee Member) Subjects: Electrical Engineering; Engineering

Master of Sciences (Engineering), Case Western Reserve University, 2008, Electrical Engineering

A miniature, implantable, remote RF powering system for a small, un-tethered laboratory animal inside a cage is proposed. The proposed implantable device exhibits dimensions 6 mm x 6 mm x 2 mm and a mass of 100 mg including bio-compatible silicone coating. The external system consists of a Class-E power amplifier driving a tuned 15 cm x 25 cm coil. The implant device includes integrated “capacitor-free” RF to DC and power control circuitry. The full system provides 2 V VDD at up to 1 mA to implant electronics with < 200 μV DC variation, < 1 mV total RMS noise, and < 25 mVpp 4 MHz ripple and a 3 V supply to CMOS switches over a 10 cm x 20 cm operating region with an implant tilt angle of up to 60°. Additionally, an intelligent power control system is proposed that would reduce external system power consumption and cage temperature increase.

Committee: Darrin Young (Advisor); Frank Merat (Committee Member); Steven Garverick (Committee Member) Subjects: Electrical Engineering

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1967, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1971, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1965, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1966, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: